Evonik opens new membrane production facility in Schörfling (Austria)

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik Industries has opened another membrane production facility at its Austrian plant in Schorfling, said the producer in its press release.

The new hollow fiber spinning plant predominantly produces membrane modules for efficient nitrogen generation and for process gases. Nitrogen accounts for roughly 40 percent of the estimated global gas separation market, making it the second-largest market after natural gas.

Dr. Harald Schwager, deputy chairman of Evonik’s Executive Board, says: "The membrane business is an excellent example of how important innovations are for corporate success. Here, we are generating growth for Evonik with new products, and harnessing new markets in close cooperation with our customers."

In Schorfling, Evonik currently produces gas separation modules predominantly for the biogas market and helium recovery. The new hollow fiber spinning plant doubles the existing production capacities for SEPURAN membranes.

Dr. Claus Rettig, chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH, says: "The Schorfling investment expands our possibilities for placing the membrane portfolio on an even broader footing. Our aim is to offer our customers and partners custom-tailored membranes in the entire gas separation market."

In total, Evonik has invested an amount in the mid double-digit million euro range in the expansion of the Austrian plant. Besides the new hollow fiber spinning plant, additional facilities have been created for technology development, application technology, membrane testing and quality assurance. Over 30 new jobs have been created in production and administration.

The company’s plant in Lenzing near the Schorfling site manufactures the source material polyimide, a high-performance polymer, which is spun and then further processed in Schorfling. The infrastructure in Lenzing is being correspondingly upgraded as part of site expansion.

SEPURAN membranes are used for the highly efficient separation of gases such as methane, nitrogen, or hydrogen from gas mixtures. The innovative hollow fiber membranes made from high-performance plastic are at the heart of the separation process. They are highly resistant to high temperature and pressure, and can be adjusted to customer requirements. The advantages in using Evonik’s membrane technology for gas separation are down to the more precise separation of the gases and the greater productivity this offers.

The SEPURAN product family of Evonik’s Resource Efficiency Segment includes membranes for biogas processing, on-site nitrogen generation as well as for helium and hydrogen recovery. Within this Segment, the High Performance Polymers Business Line has been developing and producing high-performance plastics for more than 50 years that allow for resource-efficient innovations in a wide range of industries.

In 2011, SEPURAN Green membranes were successfully launched on the market for biogas treatment, and have been installed in over 100 biogas treatment plants all over the world.

Since then, the membrane technology has been continuously developed. Meanwhile, the SEPURAN Noble membrane for helium and hydrogen recovery has been added to the product range. Evonik expects the helium and hydrogen market to grow in the low double-digit percentage range in the next few years. In 2016, the specialty chemicals company and the technology group The Linde Group stepped up their collaboration in the gas separation market using membranes. The partnership has already resulted in a reference plant for helium recovery in Mankota (Canada) – the first of its kind in the world to combine both separation processes, membrane and pressure swing adsorption technology. The new plant processes more than 250,000 standard cubic meters of crude gas per day, and produces industrial-grade helium (99.999%).

The new hollow fibre membrane for efficient nitrogen generation - SEPURAN N2 - was added to the membrane portfolio in early 2016.

As MRC reported earlier, Evonik is expanding its production facilities in Birmingham (Alabama, USA) and Darmstadt (Germany). This will create additional capacity for the production of biodegradable polymers marketed globally under the brand names RESOMER and RESOMER SELECT. These poly-lactic-glycolic-acid (PLGA) copolymers are primarily used to manufacture bioresorbable medical devices and controlled-release formulations for parenteral drug delivery.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Canadian machinery supplier Husky Injection Molding Systems has won a major order from Russia’s Pascal Medical for 12 Husky systems, it was announced 1 November, said the conpany on its website.

According to Husky, the Russian medical supplier intends to create "an innovative, technologically advanced product complex for the manufacture of sterile, disposable medical products." Pascal Medical has been working in close partnership with Husky to set up its facility in Dubna, Russia. The company aims to become "an industry-leading" manufacturer with the target to replace foreign-import medical products.

Currently focused on disposable syringes, the company plans to expand its product range in the future to include prefilled syringes, infusion and transfusion systems, catheters, vacuum blood collection systems, and parts for epidural anesthesia. Husky said it had been involved in all aspects of the project, including the planning for a 10,000 square metre factory, syringe design development, and selection of assembling machines, clean room suppliers and even personnel.

"We are thrilled to be working so closely with Pascal Medical as they complete the first stage of their project," said Robert Domodossola, Husky’s president of medical and specialty packaging. Domodossola noted an absence of local production of medical disposables in Russia, similar to the case of beverage packaging 20 years ago.

"We look forward to continuing our partnership as they expand production lines and the range of injection molded products they offer," said Domodossola added. The Dubna facility opened and began production on 27 Sept, with integrated Husky systems installed and producing quality parts. The construction of the facility started in July 2016.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, one of the world's largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies, has announced that its Supervisory Board has authorized the company's Management Board to declare a dividend of USD0.90 per share, as per the company's press release.

The dividend will be paid December 12, 2017 to shareholders of record December 5, 2017 with an ex-dividend date of December 4, 2017.

As MRC informed before, in August 2016, LyondellBasell made the final investment decision to build a high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant on the US Gulf Coast. The plant will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 metric tons) and will be the first commercial plant to employ LyondellBasell's new proprietary Hyperzone PE technology. The start-up of the new plant is scheduled for the middle of 2019.

LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. The company manufactures products at 57 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Russia's imports of polypropylene (PP) in January-October remained practically at the level of the same period in 2016 and reached 144,400 tonnes. At the same time there was seen a decrease in the imports of some PP grades, according to a MRC's DataScope report.

October imports of PP into Russia increased to 20,700 tonnes against 15,100 in September, the increase accounted only for homopolymer PP raffia grade and PP block copolymers. In general, imports of PP into Russia totalled 144,400 tonnes in January-October 2017, compared with 144,200 tonnes year on year. The reduction in external supplies was seen only for homopolymer PP and PP random copolymers, while imports of PP block copolymers and other propylene copolymers, on the contrary, increased.

Overall, the structure of PP imports by grades looked the following way over the stated period.

October imports of homopolymer PP increased to 7,500 tonnes against 3,600 tonnes a month earlier, shipments of homopolymer PP raffia from Central Asia increased significantly. Overall imports of this PP grade reached 48,200 tonnes in the first ten months of 2017, compared to 64,500 a year earlier.

October imports of PP block copolymers in Russia increased to about 5,200 tonnes against 3,700 tonnes in September. Local companies increased purchasing of PP block copolymers for non-pressure pipes extrusion in Europe. Imports of PP block copolymers into Russia reached 37,800 tonnes in January-October 2017, compared to 26,800 tonnes a year earlier.


Imports of PP random copolymer in October rose to 3,800 tonnes against 3,700 tonnes a month earlier, amid good demand and tight supply from Russian producers local producers increased purchasing of PP for pressure pipes and blow moulding production. Total imports of PP random copolymers in Russia were 26,800 tonnes in January - October 2017, compared with 28,600 tonnes year on year.

Imports of other propylene polymers for the reported period increased to about 31,600 tonnes compared with 24,200 tonnes in the same time a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The state has set the goal that future development of Azerbaijan should be connected with the development of industry. So, the country attracts significant amount of public investment in industrial sectors that are of strategic importance for republic, reported Azernews.

Creation of industrial cluster, a regional concentration of related industries in a particular location, is one of these measures, which can attract all the key players from both home and abroad. Such clusters are actively established in many cities around the world.

The first industrial clusters in Azerbaijan will appear in Sumgayit and Balakhani settlement.

The clusters will be formed around the SOCAR Polymer petrochemical complex in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park and the Balakhani landfill for the disposal of solid domestic waste, the director of the Research Institute of Economic Reforms, Vilayat Veliyev, told journalists on November 13.

"With the advent of clusters in Azerbaijan, a new stage in the development of industry will begin," he added.

Director of the Institute noted that, in particular, SOCAR Polymer will produce about 200 types of raw materials and semi-finished products on the basis of which small and medium-sized enterprises will be able to produce a large number of goods - from household appliances to complex machinery and machines.

"The creation of clusters will provide an opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses to unite around SOCAR Polymer and the Balakhani landfill for solid domestic waste utilization, and create their own production chain based on raw materials produced at these enterprises," Veliyev said.

He added that at present the government is working on the formation of a legal basis for the creation of industrial clusters, in connection with which various studies have been conducted and foreign experience has been studied.

The total cost of the SOCAR Polymer project is USD750 million. In the first quarter of 2018, it is planned to put into operation a plant for the production of polypropylene (PP), and in the third quarter - a polyethylene (PE) plant. At the first stage, the production capacity will amount to 120,000 tons of PE and 180,000 tons of PP. By 2021, the total capacity can reach 570,000 tons of products. The petrochemical complex will sell its products both inside the country and abroad - in Turkey, Europe and CIS countries.

The Balakhani landfill for solid domestic waste utilization was established in the 1960s, and since 2009 it has been transferred to the balance of Temir Seher OJSC. Since that time, the implementation of the project on integrated waste management in Baku jointly with the World Bank, which allowed the activities of the landfill to be brought into line with international standards, has been launched.

As MRC wrote previously, in March 2017, SOCAR GPC, a gas-processing project of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), selected UNIPOL PE Technology licensed by Univation Technologies for use in its world-scale 600KTA polyethylene plant to be built in Garadagh, Azerbaijan. This project represents the first UNIPOL PE Process licensed in Azerbaijan and by SOCAR. The new polyethylene facility will take advantage of the flexibility of the UNIPOL PE Process to manufacture conventional and advanced polyethylene products covering a broad range of both high-density polyethylene (HDPE), including best-in-class HDPE injection molding grades, as well as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) resin grades.

SOCAR GPC also selected Univation’s XCAT Metallocene Polyethylene Technology for the manufacture of advanced metallocene film structures suitable for high-performance food packaging, stretch-wrap, heavy-duty sack and specialized multi-layer applications. Production output from this new PE plant will be focused on satisfying growing polyethylene demand in both domestic and European markets in a wide range of goods.

SOCAR Polymer is a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). The entity was formed at the end of 2013 to run investments at the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park, a production park which intends to become a chemical hub in central Asia.
MRC